“People often ask me how would I like to be remembered and I answer that I would simply like to be remembered.” – Roy Orbison
“The Authorized Roy Orbison” not only remembers the legendary American singer-songwriter, but offers a truly unique look-behind-the-scenes at a talented, humble man who became a voice for the ages. Roy Orbison had songs that charted in five consecutive decades, and his accolades continue after his death. This book, co-authored by Roy Orbison, Jr., Wesley Orbison and Alex Orbison with Jeff Slate, chronicles the making of Roy Orbison — his personal life and his celebrity.
Roy’s Boys:
How did this book come about?
Alex: This book was actually started by our father and it was the desire of his wife, Barbara, to have it completed. It is the result of two movements; one from him through Barbara and ultimately to us. The other aspect came through our researcher Marcel Riesco, a diehard Orbison fan. He collected every piece of paper, etc., for over 15 years and then verified each one to get all the facts.
Roy, Jr.: Our book is a culmination of all of our dreams, individually and collectively, but we each looked at the story a bit differently. There’s a lot of love put into this book — it was something we all wanted to do.
What were the biggest challenges to writing this book?
Wesley: It was nice to have a chance to talk about a lot of the wonderful things Dad did, but the challenge was to convey who Dad was as a person — and determine what he might like to have shared in his story,
When/Where/How did you start?
Roy, Jr.: We found out that our dad had started writing his own story, but he died after only completing about 10 pages. Then Barbara died in December 2011. We suddenly found ourselves with the huge responsibility of curating all of Dad’s notes, photos and footage. In the Spring of 2012 we formed our company, Roy’s Boys, and all moved back to Nashville in order to work together on this book.
What did you want to accomplish with this book?
Alex: We wanted to set the record straight. This book is a cornerstone of our father’s legacy and we are carrying the torch forward for our parents and our own children (Roy’s son, Roy Orbison III, and Wesley’s daughter, Emily Orbison).
Roy, Jr.: Our dad still has a huge fan base and this was a way for us to “give back” to those fans.
Jeff:
What was your interest in helping write this book?
I grew up with Roy Orbison’s music. He’s one of those people, that the minute I heard him, he just spoke to me deep down in my soul. The effect was partly his voice, partly his lyrics — but his songs are just so remarkable. I really wanted to try to explain from a musician’s, critic’s and fan’s point of view what I was hearing.
How did you connect with his sons?
In addition to being a lifelong fan of Roy Orbison, in 2014 I met his son, Alex, when they were working on the promotion for the “Mystery Girl” re-release. I was writing an article for Esquire and we hit if off right away. We kept in touch and when the opportunity for the book came up, he and his brothers contacted me.
What was your role?
I took all the information and research given to me and created a narrative. They presented me with research that had been accumulated for years. It was probably over a million words, plus tons of images they had as a family. My job was to distill that down to about 60 thousand words and tell the story of Roy Orbison’s life that people would want to know. As fans, we know the basic story, but with this book we were trying to dig down and covey more detail, the ups and downs, as truthfully as possible.
What makes this biography of Roy Orbison unique?
With this book being written by his sons, it gives a much more personal account of Roy Orbison the man. Additionally, everything else has been written based on people’s opinions — like fictional biographies — not fact. Our book is based on documented facts — we drew from existing records, paperwork, receipts and photos, including many photos never seen before by the public.
How did they get the quotes they attributed to Roy?
The family has an enormous archive of press clippings and audio recordings of interviews that Roy did over the years. Every event in his life had a series of quotes and family recollections attached to it.
Tell me about the choice to have John Carter Cash moderate the book-signing at Parnassus?
He is an old friend, he knew Roy and he knows the boys — they go way back. And if anybody is going to ask them questions about their dad, I can’t think of anyone better to do that. It definitely plays to the close personal relationship that Roy had with Johnny Cash. Now they’ve taken it to the next generation.
Jeff Slate with Roys’ Boys: Roy, Jr., Wesley & Alex Orbison
Booksigning Event for “The Authorized Roy Orbison”
Moderated by John Carter Cash
Oct. 21 at 2 p.m.
Parnassus Books
3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14
Store phone: 615.953.2243
About the authors…
Jeff Slate is a New York City-based songwriter and journalist who regularly contributes to Esquire, Rolling Stone and other publications. He has appeared on radio and TV around the world as both a performer and a music expert.
The sons of Roy Orbison, collectively and affectionately known as Roy’s Boys, include Roy, Jr., a singer and guitar player who works out of his own professional recording studio; Wesley, a seasoned songwriter and guitar player; and Alex, a drummer and music publisher. The trio works together “to protect and further the legacy of their father.” All three brothers live with their families in Nashville.
